Clearing up tuition, ‘cost of attendance’

March 17, 2013

In regard to the article ''College costs,'' which appeared on the front page of the Sunday, March 10, 2013, edition of The Tribune, I must make one thing perfectly clear - tuition at Kent State University at Trumbull is NOT $11,000 per year as written in the piece.

At Kent State Trumbull, we pride ourselves on being able to provide our students with the most affordable university education in the area, and with a one-year tuition figure of $5,472, we feel we do just that. Please note, our one-year tuition figure is $5,472, a figure some $5,500 LESS THAN the figure reported in the article.

The issue at hand with the Sunday article is the paragraph which states:

''Of those schools, Trumbull Business College has the highest tuition at around $21,000 per year, followed by Ohio State at $19,000, Kent State Trumbull at $11,000, YSU at just less than $11,000 and EGCC at $3,000."

The problem is that the paragraph clearly labels the figures contained within it as ''tuition,'' which, at least in regard to Kent State Trumbull, they are not. More than likely, the number listed for Kent State Trumbull, as well as the other institutions listed, is what would be termed ''cost of attendance.''

Cost of attendance is a figure that takes into consideration five factors: tuition and fees; books; room and board; transportation; and miscellaneous.

And even if those factors do indeed add up to an $11,000 figure for our campus, it isn't a figure that should be labeled as any sort of accurate figure for all students because each of those factors can be markedly unique from person to person.

But I digress, as the real issue is again, that Kent State Trumbull's yearly tuition was portrayed as being $11,000, which it is NOT. In addition, I would assume that figures listed as ''tuition'' for the other institutions listed in the piece are also inaccurate.

In a time and economy where rising costs and keeping a close eye on the bottom line is practically a minute-by-minute endeavor, it is vitally important that the people of our community receive accurate information as it pertains to the costs of higher education.

The community needs to know that Kent State Trumbull has the most affordable university education in the area.